Haiti Fraud
 

Stories of corruption are starting to emerge from the work of relief organizations at work in Haiti. This thread is a place for you to share what you have heard. Share news articles, personal experiences, stories you've heard from friends, reports you've heard on the evening news. etc.
Let's put all of these stories in one place - I'm curious if the rebuild after this major disaster will be as messed up as the post-Katrina mess in New Orleans.

Other food for thought:
Do you have any thoughts on why this is happening?
What is it about the psycological condition of these people that allows them to be taken advantage of?
What oversight is needed to prevent such corruption?
How do we keep such oversight from interfering with speedy relief?
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The first striking article I found deals with a Baptist group that was trying to rush "Orphans" to safety in the Dominican Republic. These children were supposedly taken from distant relatives or from complete strangers who did not want to provide for them. Turns out, most of the children were taken from their parents or close relatives, and many of these parents are living in dispair over the loss of their children. The leaders of the Baptist group were taken into custody, but officials aren't sure if they want to undertake the effort to return the children.
-Link to AP story-

I work with a family who has home care nursing and the nurse's mother reportedly went down to help with an orphanage. This part is hearsay... but they said when they got the airport, there were hundreds of pallets of supplies just sitting there because they did not have enough security to escort the supplies into the areas that needed them because the security details were focused on visiting dignitaries. The nurse's mom said that a really nice solider knocked some stuff onto the ground off the pallets for them to deliver because once anything was off the Red Cross property, they couldn't deliver it through the security.

I've heard these types of stories about every disaster that's happened over the years. Human beings tend to take advantage some times when there are "donations" and that just sucks. Corruption will always exist, as will the well-meaning soul that wants to help. You can't just show up with your cape and majik wand and try to scoop up orphans. Proper channels are what try to keep order. Find order in this chaos, and I'll send you the ten bucks. But not the Red Cross.

Sorry to sound so cynical, but it's been a big topic of discussion in my social circles because medical staff are being sent there, away from kids that need help here and they get there and aren't allowed to do anything. They sit around in Miami and eventually come back. The hospitals down there are overflowing and somehow Florida is getting a lot of the brunt and expectation by the rest of the country that we'll take the people that need help, when in actuality, our heathcare already sucks and people can't get what they need. It's a shame, and I don't have any answers either.

In my experience, limited I admit, the "What's in it for me?" attitude is rampant in third world countries. Everybody wants their cut, and it doesn't matter if the cut is coming from relief aid supplies.

If the news media (in the US in particular) would do in-depth reporting of the corruption involved in disaster relief, many people would not be so quick to make donations. I'm certain that the relief agencies experienced in how things work in third countries are prepared for the bribes, skimming, etc. that take place, and I'm equally certain that Americans in general would be appalled at the same.

It is my belief that the news media and the relief agencies intentionally withold corruption information to avoid shocking well-meaning contributors.

All the more reason to start this thread.